Bagel for One.
Our Bagel for One recipe is stolen outright from jenniabs3 on TikTok, with just a couple of modifications in technique. If you think making just one bagel is overly indulgent, just imagine the satisfaction of mixing the dough with your own hands, watching it grow, then enjoying it piping hot out of the oven half an hour later. We were baking No-Fuss Focaccia at the same time so didn’t feel guilty about firing up the oven for one bagel; of course you could also multiply the recipe or cook the single in a toaster oven or air fryer.
Ingredients:
1 t instant dry yeast
1 t brown sugar
½ c warm water
120g (a little less than a cup) all purpose flour
¼ t Kosher salt
2 T honey
Your choice of fillings
Your choice of toppings
Egg wash made from an egg white or whole egg (if adding topping)
Bagel dough after shaping.
Method: mix the yeast and brown sugar with the water and wait a few minutes for the yeast to bloom. Mix the flour and salt and any desired fillings (such as dried or fresh blueberries, for example) in a small bowl, add the yeast water, and knead in the bowl for a couple of minutes until the dough becomes more cohesive. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size. Shape with your hands into a ball then flatten and poke a hole in the middle and shape into a bagel.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a quart of water to the boil in a pot just big enough to hold the bagel, along with 2 T honey. Boil for 1 minute on each side for a slightly chewy bagel; adjust the time up or down with less boiling = more tender, less chewy. Drain and then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat on a sheet pan or cookie sheet. If using topping (we topped ours with Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning) brush the top of the bagel with egg wash to hold it in place, then apply seeds or other topping generously. Bake 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned but not yet dark. Serve hot for best results.
